Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-01-26
INSPECTING THE I'M.
A Government Officer Makes n Report
Based Upon the Observations of AN
Official Trip.

BASED Upon tue Oh AN
Official TriD.
Once in q decade CT two a solitary
horseman, riding on a blackboard, may
be discerned vending his way along the
trend of Jim river. He comes from the
hyperborean north and shapes bis ourse
to emerge at that point where tropical
willows bend low over the commiugling
waters OF the Jim and the Big Muddy
aqueous combination produced by the
union Of two mighty streams OF varied
tastes and habits. The alpha of his
journey is the plain snvIroned Jimtown
and its omega the tree clad picnic
suburb of Yankton just below Scbnei-
der's ice house, etc. Possibly his wander
ings would cease at S~chneider's, bat
the county commissioners have refused
q license. He carries in his pocket an
order from the war department to
measure In his descent the waters
of the Jim and be usually travels during
the drouth and ice season, 80 his labors
may be light. On the trip be expends a
munificent government appropriation at
the wayside inns, etc. Like o nickie
plated thread running over a snowy ex-
panse OF plain and valley the Jim
stretches its m%eanderipg course before
this traveller and guides him on his way.
He cannot miss the road and be never has
that anybody knows of. This historical
individual-this periodic wandering Jew
of the government-has recently COM
pleted another expedition over the well
worn route, gazing upon the Jim in the
hour of its most ableot Humiliation
when it was low In its channel and dry
in its tributary gulches. He viewed it
with the eye Of a professional, seeking to
ascertain how much of q shower it would
take to develop slack water navigation
along its tortuous course. he oame by
the way OF Mitchell aud there halted to
ohide the people over the e~ttenuated
dimensions and apparent neglect OF this
highway Of m They assured
him that water had never been q recog-
nized component of their existence, but
if there was anything in having plenty
of il around they would fix up q Iegis
lative combination with the north fol
the removal of the mouth of the jim
from Yanktoa to Mitchell. They were
startled lest they had overlooked some
thing and were fearful that the govern
ment engineer might be disposed to re-
feet upon them for not having the Jim
empty at Mitchell. But he assured
he had. seen of it. And h.
{ followed the trend of the river down
ward and onward. Here OF Yankton h'
I disembarked from his blackboard AM
wrote up his field notes and proceeded
to Washington, where he made Q repor
whlch is liable to prejudice congress
t against the Jim. He said it would no
float o canal barge at the time he say it
: Perhaps not. But he should look upoi
] it when it is wet. We have seen houses
yea villages, floating unve1ed in the tur
8 bid waters OF the Jim. We have seel
icebergs, brought down from the north
mountain high, iammed across it
aqueous pathway, This we cite as
q we'll authenticated case OF Jim jams
5 We regret that the government office
: was not with US when we aoated in
d yawi upon the bosom of the Jim owe
o the tops of the forest trees and locke
down from the moist elevation upon til
surrounding bluffs. Had he seen tn
> Jim as we have seen 1t he woul
regret to his dying day the many damsp
L ing improprieties contained within hi
Q report. Or course he was acting unde
orders from a government which neve
q ldoes anything at the right time of th
year-which sends it's Indians cor
planters in the fall and reapers in til
spring. We forgive the engineer, bu
have laid it up for the government.
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